Ford To Abandon "Traditional Credit Scores" For Underwriting Decisions As Sales Stall

So, what do you do when your sales are stalling because you've already financed new cars for every man, woman and child with a credit score north of 500?  Well, you simply abandon credit scores in the underwriting process and instead explicitly mandate that your loan officers approve every potential car buyer that walks through the door with a pulse. 

Maybe we're exaggerating a little, but according to a new report from the Wall Street Journal, Ford Credit "has decided to change its approval process to look beyond credit scores in an effort to pump up sales."  Which is a genius strategy if we understand it correctly.

The company says it is looking at ways to increase loan and lease approvals for applicants with limited credit histories. These consumers are often denied credit because they lack a history of managing debt and as a result have low credit scores. Ford’s credit division plans to review new data to try to determine whether these customers, as well as those with more robust borrowing histories, are likely to repay their loans.

The move by Ford Motor's financing unit is expected to unfold in coming years, even as concerns mount about rising auto-loan losses in the industry. Ford Motor Credit is expected to announce the plans as soon as Friday.

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